Many a traveler has arrived at their hostel or bed and breakfast and almost immediately gone to scour the shelves of the book exchange, yearning for a Marquez, Allende or Borges (you are in South America, after all). Instead of wallowing in your disappointment at the sorry selection of crumbling paperbacks you find along the way, step through the door of Walrus bookshop in San Telmo, a veritable mini-mecca for English-speaking travelers and residents craving a decent read.

This cozy shop is crammed with 4,000 new and used books including Argentine classics in English and popular paperbacks that have been left in the wake of countless English-reading travelers.

A mish-mash of non-fiction titles includes history, philosophy, religion, art and even reference books. Bring in the book you just finished to receive a modest discount towards your purchase. Prices are reasonable, and the owners, Geoffrey Hickman and Josefina Sánchez, an American-Argentine couple provide friendly customer service in order to help you find that one book that will turn that 20-hour bus ride from hell into a journey of literary bliss.

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